When will Holmes return to the shadows?

At the moment, with all things Sherlock riding high, it is perhaps difficult to remember a time when it wasn't thus.

Arthur Wontner

Sherlock Holmes never slips from sight entirely, he is always there to some degree, but the spotlight otherwise known as "mainstream interest" eventually moves on.  When it does, Sherlock Holmes returns to being the object of affection for long-standing societies and others with similar levels of devotion. For the masses, Holmes slips back to being something nice to watch on a cosy Sunday afternoon (especially if it's Rathbone or Brett).

While you could argue that Holmes was a steady screen presence during the 1930s and 40s (courtesy of Arthur Wontner and Basil Rathbone) the spotlight was then lost and the 1950s efforts of Ronald Howard did not really bring it back.

Basil Rathbone (left) Ronald Howard (right)

The 1960s saw a resurgence of sorts (at least in the UK) under Douglas Wilmer and Peter Cushing before the 1970s saw a return to the shadows (with the odd spell in the light such as The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes).

Wilmer, Cushing and Stephens

The return of the spotlight in the 1980s and 90s was ensured by Jeremy Brett.  His Holmes brought a level of adoration perhaps without parallel since Rathbone.  Then, once again, the spotlight moved on and the great detective went back into the shadows.

Jeremy Brett

The Hallmark pairing

The efforts post year 2000, such as the Alan Cubitt screenplays with Richard Roxburgh and Rupert Everett, gave us a brief fix but the shadows remained. The same can be said for the questionable Hallmark efforts.

Robert Downey Jr's labours, on their own, would have achieved little. The films were clearly successful but it is the popular television series that really puts a character on the map and gains mainstream interest. It was therefore the advent of BBC Sherlock that truly heralded the latest period in the spotlight for the great detective. Shortly afterwards, regardless of whether you are pro or anti it, Elementary undoubtedly played its part by bolstering the work started by its UK predecessor.

So what of the future? With the increasing gaps between series of Sherlock, the spotlight's presence on Holmes is perhaps largely driven by the Sherlock rumour mill, the high profile of its actors in other shows and the ongoing presence of Elementary.

The current mainstream interest in Holmes will not last - it can't. Something will bring it to an end. It could be the actors deciding to walk away from the roles or it could be the action of a TV executive. We've seen it before and it will happen again. In some respects we should be glad when it does. A character always on the screen runs the risk of boring us all and/or having his/her effect on us diluted (too much of a good thing and all that). Holmes will eventually return to the shadows where he will be cared for by those who love him come rain or shine and irrespective of the opinions of the fickle public. We will then sustain him until he is ready for the limelight again.

Written by Alistair Duncan

Buy my books here